Dance

I am Tiffany Kraus and this is the eighth year I have been teaching
and developing this program. Here at PS 41, all students in Grades K-2
and 4-5 take dance class as a part of their required academic
curriculum. The students will be learning various forms of movement and dance.Through
movement, each student develops physically and cognitively through
coordination exercises, stretches, games and dance techniques.Not only do students increase their physical activity, they also read, write, choreograph, observe, draw and discuss dancing.The
program I have created reaches all learners, as it is visual, auditory,
tactile and kinesthetic. Warm up routines are built on brain based
dance education which increasing creativity.

Students also connect dance as social, cultural, artistic and
expressive, which builds a deeper understanding and appreciation of the
art form. The program adheres to the standards listed in
the NYC DOE Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance. The five
strands of creating excellence in dance are: Dance Making,
Developing Dance Literacy, Making Connections, Working with Community
and Cultural Resources and Exploring Careers and Life Long Learning. The PS 41 Dance program provides numerous opportunities within these strands. It is my pleasure to watch the students develop and grow as moving and performing artists. The Blueprint can be found at: http://schools.nyc.gov/offices/teachlearn/arts/canda_dance.html.

All students in Grades K-2, 4-5 have dance class with our dance teacher.
Kindergarten students receive dance twice each week. Students in Grades
1, 2, 4 and 5 receive dance once each week.

All 3rd Grade students participate in the National Dance Institute
2-week residency in the Spring. Students will learn from an NDI teaching
artist once a week for 10 days, culminating in a performance for the
whole school and the students' families.

All 4th Grade students participate in our National Dance Institute
program each week, beginning in October and ending in June. An NDI
teaching artist, assistant and musician teach the students, with a
mid-year performance in December and an end-of-year performance in May
or June.